Gullfaks-situation was not reported

[Celefin]

Source: Petro.no

Translated from Norwegian site
http://www.petro.no/modules/module_123/proxy.asp?C=14&I=14094&D=2

The evacuation last Thursday was the third event on Gullfaks C in the last half year involving natural gas leakage and well pressure fluctuations. Event #2 happend on 30th april and the authorites have criticised the lack of (obligatory) notification.

Statoil responded that notification was not necessary due to the low emergency level and that the safety equipment was working properly.

Injection of drilling mud should have stabilised the pressure situation but loss of drilling fluid rendered that safety barrier ineffective.

The final safety barrier was activation of the blowout preventer (BOP). It has worked as planned.

Read more: http://www.petro.no/modules/module_123/proxy.asp?C=14&I=14094&D=2

[Celefin]

1. Gullfaks C production stopped, Statoil working on well plug

Translated from Norwegian again, sorry ;)
http://www.petro.no/modules/module_123/proxy.asp?C=14&I=14096&D=2

Statoil continues working on stabilising the well pressure and now attempts cementing the well. The cement plug is expected to cut off the oil and gas containing layers.

Statoil was not able to comment on the expected duration of either repair work or production stop.

[Celefin]

2. Background: accident statistics in norwegian waters

Just in case anybody else but me have been asking themselves in the light of recent events how normality looks offshore,
here are some statistics from the Norwegian shelf (probably the area with the most stringent regulations).

1st quarter 2010:

Total terrestrial events with notification obligation: 15
Total offshore events with notification obligation: 160
Events leading to production stop: 32
Unintended hydrocarbon leakages: 25
Fires: 5
Personnel injuries: 26
On-rig emergency procedures initiated: 47
Emergency services headquarters called: 17
Events with high potential for developing into serious accidents: 52
Minor events: 92

Numbers by company:

* A/S Norske Shell: 12
* BG Norge: 1
* BP Norge: 14
* Centrica: 2
* ConocoPhillips: 16
* Det norske: 4
* ExxonMobil: 3
* Gassco: 3
* Marathon: 4
* Naturkraft: 1
* Statoil: 95 (operates 80% of all installations in the area)
* Talisman: 18
* Total: 2

Source: http://www.petro.no/modules/module_123/proxy.asp?C=167&I=13929&D=2

[Diclotican]

3. Celefin

Celefin

Good they managed to keep it under control..Bad Statoil dosent told the regulary about the accident - They are not to say when a acceident is warrented to be told, it is a reason we do have that form of rules, so all innformation about accidents got to the governtment.. After all Statoil IS owned by large by the State..

Diclotican

[maddezmom]

4. Pressure still unstable on Norwegian North Sea oil platform: Statoil

Pressure still unstable on Norwegian North Sea oil platform: Statoil
(AFP) – 20 hours ago

OSLO — Six days after the Gullfaks C platform in the North Sea was partially evacuated due to a sudden change of pressure in a well, Norwegian energy group Statoil said Tuesday it had yet to fix the problem.

In a worst case scenario, unstable well pressure can cause oil or gas to leak out and explode, as was the case in the devastating April 20 accident on the BP-leased Deepwater Horizon rig, which killed 11 workers and has caused an environmental disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.

"The pressure is still unstable, but the situation has not worsened," Statoil spokesman Gisle Johanson told AFP.

"We are continuing to work to normalise the situation," he said, adding that no leaks had so far been detected and the company "deems the risk of a blowout as very small."

more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5ibsVUj5gbY4oawnvC_Qu4Bx_0MCA